


It's Nice to have a Friend

by Random2002



Category: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue Series - Mackenzi Lee
Genre: All sorts!, Childhood Friends, Cuddling, Fluff, Honestly 10K pure indulgence, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mischief, Secret santa baybeyyy, Shenanigans, allusions to racism, canon-typical idiocy, i love these two so damn much, what else
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:40:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28094787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Random2002/pseuds/Random2002
Summary: Glimpses in Monty and Percy's childhood ages 5 to 18.
Relationships: Henry "Monty" Montague/Percy Newton
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11
Collections: TGGTVAV Secret Santa exchange 2020





	1. 5-9

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheDefinitionofInteresting](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDefinitionofInteresting/gifts).



> Secret Santa!! A great time of year!  
> I do hope you enjoy this! I have provided you with an arrangement of situations throughout Childhood Best Friend Mercy’s lives! There is angst. There is hurt. There is comfort. But of course, a happy ending! I apologise for the amount of Henry usage and my failure to resemble children’s speech patterns, though it was necessary for the timeline. I tried to keep this TW free but any that apply are at the start of each section so if that's something you don't want to read about then just skip on. Each age is in bold.

**Ages 5 (3rd Person Percy POV) (TW: allusions to racism)**  
Percy didn’t understand why he had to be here. His aunt had dressed him up in an uncomfortable suit and dragged him to a gala hosted by someone called Montague. A silly name according to Percy, Newton was a much more reasonable name. There was an orchestra playing in the corner and Percy wanted to desperately sit by the side of the stage and watch the first chair sway along to the music. His violin was much newer and shinier than Percy’s was. Perhaps one day he would be just as good. His aunt kept pulling him over to what he was convinced was the same woman but in different dresses. Frilly, bright and loud, cooing over him and acting like he was a doll in a toy shop. In the whole five years of Percy’s life he had quickly noticed that he was not the same as all the sons of his aunt’s friends. Sometimes, it meant that Percy had to stay in his room when they visited and sometimes it meant that frilly ladies squealed right into his ear about how ‘delightful’ he looked. Something told him that ‘almost like a gentleman’ was not in fact a compliment despite the bright smile on the woman’s face. Eventually, finally, he had managed to slip away as his aunt approached a tall man who looked sharp and rough. He reminded Percy of the mean horse at the stables, the one that nipped him at every opportunity, horrid creature. He started to wander away when he noticed his aunt making the same motion at him with her hands as she did on ‘stay in your room’ days.  
Taking the dismissal in stride, Percy slowly ventured over to the table filled with pastries. They were piled upon each other in large amounts, each spilling over with cream and icing. He stood there for a while, wondering which one he should have and by what feature he should choose the one. Would it be by cream amount or by pastry thickness or whether or not the pastry had more to it like cherries or strawberries or perhaps-  
Percy stopped short, he looked down. He swore he felt something tug on his trouser leg. He blinked, perhaps he had imagined it. The pastries called out again to him, so mouth-watering and definitely delicious…there it was again! He looked down quickly and saw the table cloth sway back into place. So, he hadn’t imagined it after all. He frowned a little before carefully walking around the big table, trying to be as silent as possible. He snuck to the same spot he was stood at before and quickly pulled up the tablecloth. He was met with a loud yelp as a figure under the table hit their head against the underside of it.  
A boy. It was a boy, a small one, around his age or perhaps younger. He was dressed in very fine clothing with pretty swirly thread designs running down his front. He was rubbing the top of his head which also meant his very lovely curls, the colour of straw left out in the sun or the innermost petals of a sunflower. His big blue eyes were quickly filling up with tears. Percy felt very bad, so he did the first thing to come to mind and slipped under the table.  
“Sorry for startling you” the boy whined a little, the pain in the crown of his head starting to obviously fade as he pulled a smile onto his face. The sides of his cheeks dimpled.  
“I tried to bother you first” he admitted. Percy smiled,  
“Really? Why?”  
“I’ve never seen anyone with skin like yours before” he stated bluntly. Percy was used to flowery language and smile-softened, sugar coated insults but he was certainly not used to bluntness. So instead, he narrowed his eyes.  
“Well I’ve never seen anyone hiding under a table during a ball before” he countered, certain that it was the grandest reply he could come up with. The boy turned scarlet.  
“I’m not hiding! I was just… bored. Is all” He nodded, puffing out his cheeks hoping it would make him look more confident. It did not. Percy levelled him with a look for a while before breathing out.  
“You’re funny. I’m Percy. Percy Newton” he held out his hand. The boy looked at it and smiled before shaking it  
“Henry. Henry Montague”  
“Montague? Like Montague hall?” Percy tilted his head. Henry sighed and nodded  
“Yeah…”  
“Don’t like galas?” Percy said quietly and Henry shook his head “me either…” Henry looked up, blue eyes wide and endless. Like the expanse of the sky.  
“Do you want to be my best friend?” he whispered. Percy grinned  
“Sure.”

 **6 Climbing Trees (1st Person Monty)**  
“Come on!” I shout, and pull myself up onto another branch. Below me, Percy is breathing all funny already. I’ll definitely win. He’s the one that suggested racing to the crown of the tree anyway and I’m almost there, though Percy seems really tired. Maybe I should wait for him? He’s my bestest friend and it’s only fair to give him a little catch up time. I sit on one of the branches and swing my legs, Percy is reaching up to grab another branch. He looks up at me, his brows furrowed, from so far away I can’t see the freckles splattered across his cheeks. I hum and pick up a caterpillar making its way across the branch. Its body is all wrinkly and gross as it wriggles on my hand. It reminds me of Mr. Peele, though that would be ridiculous because Mr. Peele isn’t green. I’m still giggling, but I quickly feel the branches shaking as Percy hoists himself up to sit opposite me.  
“What are you laughing at?” Percy asks, I hold out my hand with the caterpillar on it. He leans back a little, wrinkling his nose “Gross”  
“It looks like Mr. Peele” I declare and Percy holds back laughter trying to be polite; though he knows he doesn’t have to be like that around me. There are no boring governesses here in the trees. They’d have to have special tree-climbing powers and they don’t.  
“Mr. Peele isn’t-“  
“Green?” I cut Percy off before he can finish and he laughs again. We’re both laughing when the branch under Percy gives a crack and splits. It sends Percy lurching and I quickly manage to grab the front of his coat to stop him from falling. We sure are lucky the branch did not break the whole way.  
“Percy!” I cry out and change my hold on him, he’s shaking and carefully makes his way to my branch, clearly scared. “that was so close!” He nods and gulps a little, trying to wipe away any blooming tears with his sleeve. Big boys don’t cry but I don’t mind. It can be our secret; we have a lot of secrets. Just us secrets, special secret ones, so secret I can’t even think about them in case someone around us can see into our minds. That’s how secret they are. I put an arm around him carefully, “maybe we should stop the race here. call it a tie?”  
“But… we didn’t get to the crown”, his voice is all shaky. He must have had quite the fright; his eyes are all wide and glassy.  
“We can do it tomorrow… I’m hungry anyway. Want to see if the cook can give us any sweet buns?” I slide off of the branch onto the one below and look at him. He hesitates, looking around before carefully holding out his hand to me. I take it and help him down; we make it to the ground still holding hands. It makes me feel warm inside. Percy can always count on me to help him down. That’s just what best friends do.

 **7 (Monty 3rd Person)**  
Henry stared out over the bannister. He was _politely_ asked to step out of Percy’s mathematics lesson. Who knew that attempting to fold slips of paper into figures could be so distracting? He sighed and stood up on his tiptoes to peer over the smooth mahogany of the railing. He could just about see the landing from here but suddenly his hair wiggled loose from the hairstyle his maid had meticulously styled this morning. The strand fell over his eye and he could barely see anything, he tried to blow it out of the way but it just wouldn’t shift. He sighed and set himself back on his feet, pushing the stray strand back into place. Just as he was satisfied, the door to his right opened and Percy carefully walked out. He gave Henry a light grin.  
“Admiring the view?” he asked and Henry rolled his eyes, nudging his shoulder against Percy’s.  
“Ah yes, your Aunt’s portrait looks just as lovely as always.”  
“You know, perhaps one day you will make it through a whole mathematics lesson” he suggested. Henry laughed.  
“I think I’d have to be tied down. Mathematics never make any sense.”  
“They make perfect sense Henry.” Percy sighed and Henry shook his head, adamant. He slowly turned his head back to the landing, attempting to pick out any servant walking past.  
“You know…” Percy started, catching his attention. That tone of voice always meant that Percy was planning something no one would believe careful Percy would ever suggest “do you think we could slide all the way down these stairs?”  
“How would we do that?” He looked around slowly and grinned, eyes lighting up with mischief. He tapped Henry on the elbow and pointed out a maid who was just cleaning out Mrs Powell’s bedroom after breakfast. As she entered the bed chamber one more time, Henry watched Percy sneak up to her cart and snatch a silver tray off of the top of it.  
“On this!” he sounded triumphant and Henry knew this was going to be a disaster. A glorious one. He was sold.  
“Okay, but you sit behind me, you’re taller”

They carefully made sure that every servant in proximity had disappeared, pretending to just be admiring the paintings along the ornate walls in the mansion. Then Percy perched himself on the edge of the tray and gestured to Henry to come on.  
“Both of us?”  
“Course, we’ll fit” Henry carefully tucked himself in front of Percy, breathing in sharply as the tray wobbled before settling against his chest.  
“Hold tight”  
“I am!” Henry huffed and grabbed onto the sides of the tray, he was curled up in a way that was mildly cramped, however Percy was right. They did both fit, just about. Without any warning, Percy kicked off from the top of the staircase and they were off. Henry couldn’t help but squeeze his eyes shut as he felt each step of the staircase bump under him. They were going at a fast speed and slowly, he managed to relax and enjoy the ride, not for long however as the tray rattled twenty steps from the landing forcing them to become unbalanced. Both boys wobbled and tried to hold on but the soft carpet had dragged against their fingers painfully. In the split second, the tray fell out from under them and they tumbled down the rest of the way landing painfully on their arses.  
“Are you okay?” Percy mumbled after a moment  
“Ow…” was all Henry could answer as he slowly brought himself back to the reality.  
Soon enough a whole entourage of staff was rushing in to figure out what the ruckus was about. They sighed at the sight of the two boys and scolded them mercilessly but the glint in Percy’s eye told Henry that this would certainly not the be the last time they attempted this.

 **8 (3rd Person)**  
It was raining. Rain always spelled disaster in the Montague household. Morning lessons have long since come to an end and children were best to be seen and not heard. In fact, it was most ideal that they were not seen at all. Percy scurried quickly from the carriage to the front door hoping to avoid most of the rain, after that a maid had let him into the manor. By now, Percy knew the way to Henry’s quarters as well as to his own. He slowly made his way to the door and heard his best friends dramatic sigh from the other side of the threshold. Percy smiled to himself and pushed the door open.  
“Terrible weather.” He sighed. Henry jumped up from the windowsill and slid onto the floor, eyes wide and excited as he threw his arms around Percy.  
“You’re here!” he cried out  
“I braved the storms just for you” Percy grinned.  
“I’m bored to death Perce”  
“And yet you’re still here.” Henry huffed and puffed out his cheeks. The scowl had dissipated within moments only to be replaced by an enthusiastic grin  
“Come on. I just got a new set of soldiers; they have blue uniforms” he tugged on Percy’s sleeve excitedly  
“Blue you say?” Was all he replied before settling down besides the toybox. 

Henry groaned, flopping down onto his bed. Percy followed him soon after, laying close; pressed elbow to elbow. There were only so many things you could do inside after all and Percy was sure that they have done just about everything. The rain outside was getting even worse and Percy had gotten tired of beating Henry at draughts. There was nothing to do, he had never been so bored in his life.  
“...Chess this time?” he suggested after a moment and Henry groaned even louder  
“Spare me the torture… battledore?”  
“Not after last time”  
“Agreed…War again?”  
“We’ve played out every war Henry.”  
“Not a fan of war in the first place…sounds like a lot of blood” his friend shuddered and let his head hit the pillow. Just then they heard a soft humming sound. Percy sat up slowly and Henry followed. Outside, Sinclair was arranging some miniatures, his back turned to them. Percy slowly looked to his friend and saw that his eyes had lit up. His lips curved up into a smirk, tugging at his round cheeks and dimpling.  
“How many times do you think we can get Sinclair to move that frame before he realises its us?” he asked  
“Oh at least four times” Percy mused.  
“I say six”  
“What’s the bet on for?”  
“Pudding at dinner. If you win, I shall give you mine, and the other way round if I win”  
“You’re on.” 

The first time was fairly simple, Sinclair had left to make sure Felicity was not trying to burn the library down again with a magnifying glass and so Henry just waltzed up to the small table and swapped two of the frames around. Upon hearing footsteps, he quickly joined Percy at the crack in the door and they watched as Sinclair walked by. He stopped slowly by the table, a frown forming on his face. He shook his head and swapped the frames again before nodding to himself.  
“That’s one” Henry said  
The next time, Sinclair had gone into the guest bedroom to make sure the windows were closed, they had to be quick and so Percy ran up to the table. He cocked his head to the side for a moment before moving a smaller frame to the back. He ran back to Henry’s room, his blood pounding from the excitement. Sinclair was humming again as he walked past the table. He had passed it already which was strongly disappointing. However, his eyes soon widened and he made a couple steps back to the table. Percy’s eyes gleamed as Sinclair’s brows furrowed with confusion. He could make out his lips moving, talking to himself as he carefully slid the missing frame to the front.  
They managed to confuse Sinclair three more times. Once by placing the frame on the floor, making him look around for an open window where the gust of wind might’ve knocked it over. Once by laying a couple folded down and eventually a third time by moving the entire table one step to the right. It was Percy’s turn again and this time he was planning on taking one of the frames off of the table, to see if Sinclair would take notice. He had thought the coast was clear but upon plucking the frame from the table he heard the sound of a throat clearing. He turned very slowly to see Sinclair standing there, arms crossed over his chest. Percy squeaked and put the frame back  
“What, If I may ask, are you doing?” Sinclair asked, voice stern. Percy gulped and gave him a sheepish grin  
“I was just… it wobbled….” He finished lamely. Sinclair snorted. A giggle rippled through the air and both of them looked in its direction. Henry was stood in the doorway, hands covering his mouth. Sinclair’s stern expression softened slightly as he sighed  
“Young Master, wouldn’t it be better if you put this much effort into your schoolwork?” Henry wrinkled his nose and shook his head. Percy grinned. Sinclair’s eyes darted between him and Henry  
“Go play somewhere else and stop bothering hard working staff you rascals.” His tone of voice lacked heat. Henry grinned wider  
“It’s raining.”  
“Not anymore” Sinclair inclined his head towards the window. It seems as though they were so wrapped up in their game, they didn’t notice when the rain had stopped. Percy beamed and bounded up to Henry  
“Come on!” He threaded his fingers through Henry’s and the other boy grinned at him and nodded. They easily fell into step besides each other, making their way down the stairs  
“Five” Henry said suddenly  
“Hm?”  
“Five times, so you win.” He stated. Percy smiled  
“It’s okay, I’ll give you half of my win.” Henry’s smile made Percy’s chest flutter weirdly. Perhaps rain was not so disastrous after all. 

**9 (1st person Monty)**  
“Are you _done_ yet?” I huff. Percy is just coming out of the side room where he was taking French lessons. Personally, I think that French has no business existing and especially not floating in my brain in ragged nouns and conjugations.  
“Oui” Percy says, smug. I groan and push at his arm  
“Do not!” he laughs. “Can we go outside now?” I beg. I watch him look down a little and bite his lip. Uh-oh that means he’s worrying about asking me something. Nothing good ever came of Percy worrying, he always wound himself up into such a tizzy. I blink and tilt my head, its best if I don’t make a comment now and just let him work up the courage himself.  
“I was… thinking… Perhaps. I could show you something?”  
“Show me something?” Now that sparked my interest “What kind of something?”  
“Something I’ve been working on” It was rare that Percy did anything that I was not aware of so of course, I just _had_ to know what he was hiding. So, I nodded and followed him towards his quarters.  
Once inside Percy’s rooms I quickly flopped down onto his bed in the most un-gentlemanly way I could possibly muster. It was just Percy, there were never any expectations with him. I took a moment to wiggle around, ruffling and wrinkling his fresh sheets before finally settling down. I look up and he’s been watching me the whole while. I flash him a big grin.  
“So, what did you want to show me?” I prop my hand on my palm and my elbows on my knees. Percy smiles and holds up his father’s violin. Instantly, I groan  
“Percy Newton are you trying to play music to me right now?”  
“And what if I am Henry Montague?” I roll my eyes and shiver a little. Full names are always tricky like that. I’m honestly ready to call it a day, I’ve had my fair share of lessons today and music was never an interest of mine. Perhaps that was because it should be. Percy however, is shifting from foot to foot, biting at his lips again. He’s so nervous so the least I could do is humour him, so I sigh dramatically.  
“Go on then, can you even play that thing?”  
“Of course, I’ve been taking lessons for years” years?  
“So why have you never played for me before?”  
“I wanted to save it for when I was really proud of something. Like now” my heart fluttered just a little bit. I wasn’t accustomed to people saving memories for me. So instead, I just cough and motion for him to go on.  
If you asked me to describe the music Percy was playing with the violin, I would decidedly come up empty for my brain shut off the minute Percy dragged the bow over the strings. It wasn’t that he was bad, no the issue was that he was good. Damnation, he was fantastic. All I could watch is the way he stood, the sunshine flowing in through the open curtains, floating around him. It was like molten fire coming to settle itself between his curls, dusting along the bridge of his nose, illuminating his freckles like stardust. The light glinted off of his coat buttons and reflected into the room, it was like his entire body was glowing. Percy had his eyes closed and I couldn’t do more but focused on his face, smooth and relaxed without a single worry plaguing his bones. He moved with the music, his entire body surging and jumping with the highs and lows. His hands were still clearly a little too small to properly wrap around the neck of the violin but honestly, I have never heard Music quite this… It was certainly not boring at all. Percy’s lips curled into a smile and my stomach twisted into knots. Well I’ll be damned indeed, Percy managed to make me feel things about music, perhaps he will be a musician one day?  
All too soon he stops, breathing heavily and eyes flying open. He was so alive, in time with the music that now that it was over, he was clearly trying to regain his own footing within reality. His chest rose and fell rapidly and there was sweat pooling around his temples. Who knew music-playing was such hard work? Like all good audiences of course I decide to clap and whistle and when Percy’s face breaks out into a smile I just know. I know I’m going to be in his audience no matter how boring of a piece he is playing. I will clap and cheer even if his strings snap and he miss every note because its not even about the music, but about the way Percy lives and breathes for it. I was so proud to have him as my best friend.


	2. 10-14

**10 (1st person Percy) (TW: child abuse)**  
Henry has been off lately. He keeps saying he’s perfectly fine but I’m not sure if I believe him. He’s quiet and withdrawn which is absolutely unlike him. Today however, today is a good day and I’m planning on getting the best out of it. We’ve been laying out under the shade of the trees for the past hour, just watching the day go by. I have always loved the way the tree branches obscure the sky, only allowing tiny slithers of clouds to peek through. Said clouds sail by and I squint, noticing that the shape of it resembles that of the curve of our tutors crooked nose. I crack a grin and point up at it

“Hey, doesn’t that look a little like Mr. Woodhall?” I expected Henry to grin in turn or to giggle but he’s methodically running his fingers through the grass, completely ignoring me. I roll my eyes and nudge my elbow between his ribs, something he does to me often when I’m far away in my head. Instead of hissing at me, or punching my arm, Henry yelps and jumps back. He’s pressing his hand to his ribs tightly and his eyes are wide with fear. I try to deflate the situation  
“I didn’t nudge you that hard…” Wrong choice. Henry whimpers and apologises instead. I hate seeing him so scared and pale so I soften and gently place my hand flat on the grass, not quite touching him.  
“Hey, look, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to hurt you…” I try to sound as sincere as possible and he flushes, looking down.  
“You didn’t” He mumbles and I frown. What does he mean by that? I shuffle a little closer and he flinches again so I still. He flushes further, the red now crawling its steady way to the tips of his ears. Why would he be embarrassed so?  
“You know… you can tell me anything right?” I whisper and link our pinkies together. I can see the side of his lips twitch and I exhale, glad to know that things might be okay after all and I haven’t ruined everything. He chews his lip slowly, thinking about telling me whatever it is that is bothering him. Eventually he shifts to his knees and sits back on his heels. I tilt my head

“What- “the words die on my lips as Henry slowly lifts the edge of his shirt and undershirt. The left side of his ribcage is mottled with purple-green bruises in various stages of healing. I’ve had bruises before of course, from scrapes with trees and on the cricket fields but never like this. Never so extensively. Henry wasn’t much of a sportsman and I certainly didn’t elbow him hard enough to cause half-healed bruising. So…  
“Who did this?” I breathe, barely aware of my own voice. Henry still doesn’t meet my eyes, and he still looks embarrassed. I feel a flush of hot anger running down my spine, he shouldn’t be feeling embarrassed. Not about this, not about someone having hurt him. This wasn’t like a caning or like the cook threatening us with the wooden spoon, this was something bigger. Something dark and fear inducing making me question whether or not I want to really know. He’s still thinking and I watch him swallow; once, twice and a third time. He tests the word shapes on his lips before quietly muttering  
“…Father”  
“What?”  
“My…my father did this. I had made him angry.” The anger was back, rushing through my veins rapidly. His father did this? Stained his best friend’s ribs with so many bruises and for what? Sure, the staff would say that Henry was a rowdy child, but so was I. Especially the two of us together, we caused havoc enough for the entire household. My Aunt and Uncle had never hit me past a boxing around the ears. I frown again.  
“This… this isn’t okay. You know that, right?” I tilt my head. He looks away and it makes me feel cold all over. “What about your mother?” I press on. “What does she say about this?”  
“She… just told me to be more careful next time”  
“Next time? This wasn’t the first time this has happened?”  
“It’s not been this bad before”  
“Before? Henry!” I’m desperate and I immediately regret it when he flinches, bigger than before. I frown and swallow. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to shout. I’m sorry Henry.” He digs his fingers into his palms  
“I don’t like it.”  
“I- “  
“My name… No one ever says it nicely” he whispers. This... this is something I could control so I lay back down in the grass.  
“You need a nickname” I declare. He tilts his head to the side, his hair falling in his face.  
“Nickname?” I nod.  
“Yes… like how everyone calls me Percy.”  
“Okay… so what would my nickname be?”  
I hum, “Hen?” he shakes his head. “…Ry?”  
“That’s even worse.”  
“H?” He snorts,  
“Nope.”  
“Harry?”  
“Definitely not, maybe… maybe something with my surname? Like… Mont”  
“Well then maybe… Monty?” His lips curl up.  
“Monty… I like it”  
“Okay Monty. But your father- “  
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” his eyes dull again and I can’t stop myself before protesting.  
“But- “  
“Please.” I press my lips together and let him know of my disapproval. I look around and move a little closer, brushing my forearm against his.  
“Well…look, that cloud looks like Mr. Woodhall.” Monty smiles, genuine now  
“Yeah, it does.”

**11(3rd person Felicity POV)**  
“Go Away Felicity!”  
“I just don’t understand what’s so secret that I can’t come!” Felicity huffed with all the might of an eight-year-old. Monty does this all the time; he never wants to bring her along on any of his adventures with Percy. It wasn’t fair! She was just as smart despite her young age; Monty tried to act like just because he was eleven, he could boss her about.  
“Because I said so!” He called out “This is an adventure for just me and Percy”  
“You say that every time”  
“Because I don’t want to particularly entertain my younger sister. Don’t you have some embroidery to do or something?” he sneered making Felicity burn up with rage.  
“Some day I’m going to have bigger adventures than you!” She called out. Monty laughed  
“I’d like to see that happen, how are you even going to climb trees with all those frills on your dress huh?” It was true that dresses weren’t the most practical attire, but he didn’t have to point out the unfortunate circumstances of her existence.  
“If you don’t bring me along then I shall tell mother that it was you that broke her favourite vase” she declared, triumphant at the way Monty stopped short and narrowed his eyes at her.  
“You would _not_ ” he hissed  
“Try me.” Of course, she knew he wouldn’t. Instead he let out a frustrated noise and called  
“ _Fine_ but don’t complain that your feet hurt and no one will slow down for you”  
“I won’t” she insisted and followed him to where Percy was undoubtedly waiting for them. 

She didn’t think it should matter that she was younger _or_ a girl and that she should be able to go on any adventure too. Besides, Monty seemed to be doing all sorts of exciting things all the time and Felicity didn’t want to miss out on the fun. Her mother would tell her that Monty was a troublemaker, that he had the devil in his eyes but she always looked so fond. Everyone always liked Monty best, and Felicity did too. Though she would never ever tell him that! Besides, _he_ liked Percy best. It’s always been that way. She stepped over a tree root, determined not to fall behind the boys. They were chatting about something she wasn’t allowed to know about but every so often Percy smiled at her softly and slowed down his gait for her. Perhaps she ought to like _him_ best. Percy would surely appreciate it. Eventually they got to a clearing and Percy set about gathering wood. They were building a shelter. She didn’t see how that was such a big secret, or why a shelter in the middle of the woods would be important but she supposed it could be a quiet place to read. She had recently learned how to and she found pamphlets about animals interesting. She looked around a little bit and found some berry bushes. They looked like blackberries they had in their breakfast this morning so she picked some of them. Soon enough her hands were full but she realised that if she lifted the overskirt of her dress it created a bowl for the berries, so she brought them back to the ‘camp’  
“What on earth are you doing?” Monty asked, bewildered “your petticoats are all showing!”  
“I brought us blackberries… this way I can carry more” She gently scooped them onto a leaf, showing him. The berries left some bright red stains on her dress but surely those can be washed out. “See?”  
He stared at the berries for a while before taking one, inspecting it in every way before carefully eating it.  
“They’re… sweet” he decided before looking at her “...good job Felicity.”  
She grinned. Turns out she was a pretty good adventurer after all.

**12 (3rd person Percy) (TW: discussion of child abuse)**  
Since finding out about what Monty’s father did to him, Percy had slowly grown accustomed to his best friend turning up sore and hurt. It didn’t feel better with time, it just made Percy angrier and angrier at himself. He could do nothing to stop it. This was that kind of day. Percy knew something was wrong the minute Monty winced while walking up the stairs so he quickly fluffed the pillows on his bed.  
“How bad is it?”  
“Worse than last time… but not as bad as last month” He says decidedly, long past the stage where he tries to feign being fine. Percy never fell for it and all it did was spark worry fuelled arguments.  
“What do you need?” Percy asked, sitting down next to his best friend. Monty was trying to control his breathing.  
“Just… stay?” He asked, voice small and scared. Percy nodded; he would never leave Monty. Not like this or in any other state. He carefully leant back against the pillows and watched Monty struggle to do the same. At this point, Percy knew better than to help his friend out this way, Monty always got defensive at the notion of not being able to do simple motions. It was better to let him figure it out.

Eventually, Monty managed to settle himself against the pillows in a way that did not pressure any of his new found bruises and he slowly exhaled, cheek pressed against the pillow. Percy tangled their fingers together, running his fingertips over each knuckle. He then flipped Monty’s hand over, palm up and traced the lines there. Monty watched him, eyes drowsy and lidded.  
“What do you see there?” he mumbled and moved closer. Percy smiled.  
“Long lines for long lives…” he muttered and his friend sighed, he lurched forward and rested his head on Percy’s shoulder.  
“And the love line?” his voice gained a little more colour, a little more brightness.  
“Long love line for many great loves” he nodded sombrely.  
“Don’t need many great loves. Just one” Percy smiled and nodded. Just one great love is enough. Monty yawned and pressed closer against him, hiding his face in his neck. It wasn’t a rare occurrence for them to fall asleep together, their shared body heat and two heartbeats a comforting, soft thing. Percy let him settle down and slowly stroked his hair. He heard Monty’s breathing even out slowly from short ragged breaths to a slow and steady rhythm. He could see now, the red rims around his eyes and the matts in his hair implying that he probably didn’t get much sleep last night. The idea of it made Percy ache all over.  
“I’m sorry I’m not there… I’m sorry I can’t help you. Someday… Someday I’ll take you away from there. From him” he promised, words fierce despite his tone of voice being a whisper. Monty didn’t respond, already asleep. Percy let his eyes slide shut.

**13 (3rd Person Percy) (TW: Richard Peele, very small allusions to child abuse)**  
The gala was boring even after Percy and the other boys were allowed to go off into the next room to play billiards. Monty had already had enough of the evening after his father forced him to apologise to both Richard and his parents after the incident. This had left him sat in the corner, sulking and Percy had been trying to cheer him up all night. Though he had promised his best friend that kissing Richard Peele did not change anything between them, things had been different lately and somehow Percy knew it was due to the bruises lining Monty’s ribs under the delicate clothing. These past few weeks were downright awkward if he was being honest and he was desperate to fix them. Currently he curled around Monty in the armchair, hoping to lift his spirits through the solidarity of staying away from the games the other boys were playing, Monty was hardly in the mood for a round of whist. The light danced together with the shadows from the candles lit, as the music still heard faintly from the ballroom soothed the atmosphere. Percy hummed along faintly, under his breath. He could feel his best friend shuffle a little, moving closer towards him and relaxing. Things were almost the same as always until a certain pompous asshole decided to step up to them.

“Percival.” Said he, in his pretention, obnoxious nasally tone of voice.  
“Percy is not short for Percival, Richard.” Percy answered curtly, his lips curling around the others name in the most unpleasant way he could muster, Richard ignored him.  
“I’m missing a player for billiards.” he stated, sniffing a little and standing straighter. “and everyone else is playing cards.” Ugh. Percy opened his mouth to tell him to bugger off when an idea had struck him. He looked at Monty who was staring past Richard, not daring to meet his eyes after the betrayal, and biting his lip. Percy leaned in a little and softly asked  
“Is it okay if I play?” he ignored the way Richard snorted and muttered something undoubtedly offensive under his breath and placed his entire focus on Monty. On his hair, soft in the candlelight and his big blue eyes showing a sadness he distracted from attempting to curl his lips into a smile. He pushed Percy a little, flat against his chest and grinned  
“Course darling, I’m not your keeper.”  
“Could you hurry this up? The ball will end by the time you make up your mind.” The urge to tell Richard Peele where to shove it had returned but Percy could no ruin his brilliant plan, so he nodded and stood up.

He quickly made his way to the table and positioned himself, watching the other boy get his cue ready. They played a couple of rounds; each time Percy had made sure to back his ball into a position that would allow him to stand on the short side of the table. He let his cue skip over the balls and graze the velvet over and over, cursing each time, letting himself look frustrated. Just a couple more failed shots, playing the long game enduring Richard jeering at his poor skills and then;  
“Ah! Damnation-!”  
His hand had slipped, the cue had jammed directly into Richard’s nose, most possibly breaking it. Blood had started to seep into the lovely green velvet of the table. What a shame indeed. Pity. Of course, Percy apologised and even offered poor, poor Richard his handkerchief to stop the bleeding but when his eyes met those wide blue ones across the room? Mischief danced in them. You see, it was not only Monty who had the ability to be devious and there was a clear reason that the two of them were very best friends. He nodded his head, gesturing to the gardens as Richard was being led out and towards a nurse, no one stopped Percy. After all it was just an accident.  
Out in the garden, Monty was everything Percy had missed in the weeks; his eyes were wide and he was flushed with excitement  
“Bloody hell Percy that was quite a shot!” he exclaimed, linking their arms together, pulling him down into the grass  
“Well, the prick deserved it no?” he grinned, heart soaring as Monty laughed  
“Didn’t know you had it in you”  
“Whatever do you mean, ‘twas an accident good sir” he grinned and Monty laughed and all was well because his best friend was smiling again and curling against him in the grass  
“I hate Richard Peele” he muttered into Percy’s shoulder. Percy chuckled and took a deep breath in before yelling out  
“I HATE RICHARD PEELE” into the night. That sent Monty into another bout of giggles  
“Stop it Perce, they’ll hear you from the ballroom”  
“Let them, it’s the truth and I am not ashamed of it, come on join in” His eyes glint and he open his mouth’  
“WE HATE RICHARD PEELE” they yell together into the night and then collapse into laughter as the trees shake and shiver with them.  
Needless to say, Richard Peele did not play billiards with him ever again.

**14 (1st person Percy)**  
“Run!” Monty hisses and tugs at my sleeve. Behind us, the stable-hand is yelling at us and I can’t help but laugh. It’s been a perfect summer so far and nothing screams perfect like a little bit of chaos. Monty pulls me down behind the rosebushes and presses tight next to the brick wall. I copy his movement and we sit there for a moment, breathing heavily. He catches my eye and we burst out laughing. His voice rings out, bright and melodic and for a moment I forget whether or not I’m out of breath or if he had just rendered me speechless. It was unfair honestly. How can one person be so beautiful he saps the very colour from the surroundings in the sheer ability to burn brighter. He gives me a grin and I return it, feeling warm when he drops his head on my shoulder. After a while, I break the silence.

“Do you think the coast is clear?” I murmur and he giggles.  
“Mhm, though I’m very comfortable, down in the dirt” I run my fingers through the flowerbed of the rose bush and rub the soil between my fingertips  
“Is that so?” I murmur and he nods. I reach out and smear a bit of the soil across the bridge of his nose. He pulls back, eyes wide like I just challenged him to a duel to the death.  
“Percival Newton!” He exclaimed.  
“Percy is not short for Percival- “I start but quickly shut up as he pushes a fistful of flowerbed into my cheek. I gasp “Oh you- “I’m taller than him so it’s not very hard to push him down into the flowerbed. The petals from the roses are falling and landing in his hair and he is laughing, laughing, laughing and my stomach is warm and flipping. I could kiss him right now, I could. But it would ruin things and instead, I rub dirt into his neck. He howls laughing even harder and pushes at my face trying to bat me away. My heart feels two sizes too big for my ribs and the sunlight is streaming around us and I look down. He’s flushed so prettily, all across the apples of his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose like the protagonists of Felicity’s romance novels. Sometimes, I can’t believe that he spends his time with me willingly. I drop down and rest my forehead in the crook of his neck, ignoring the way he keeps tugging at my hair and trying to squirm out from under me.  
Suddenly we are broken apart by a scream. I sit up quickly and look over the bushes at the very angry gardener.  
“Look at what you boys did to my roses! Go on! Get out of here at once!” She shouted and Monty pales a little bit. He didn’t like shouting. I carefully wrap my fingers around his wrist and pull him up and away from the gardener. He recovers quickly and pulls his hand away, bringing his smile back. I rest my palms on my knees before my eyes widen.  
“Oh lord…” I laugh, gesturing to us. We both look like we’ve been crawling through a trench, covered in dirt and grass marks.  
“Look at what you did Percival” He huffs and crosses his arms over his chest, but I can tell he isn’t upset with me. I grin and flick his ear  
“No one would ever believe you”  
“Evil!”


	3. 15-18

**15 (3rd person)**  
“-and then he said, I’m sorry but I can’t do this anymore, this isn’t who I am. I don’t fancy lads after all” Monty said, waving his hands around. Percy snorted and rolled his eyes  
“Ah yes definitely sounds like a scared one”  
“They’re all scared Perce” he added softly. Not everyone, Monty was never scared to be exactly who he was.  
“They’re all morons”  
“You jest, but I will never be happy again!” Monty laments, throwing himself over the chaise. Percy sits in the armchair opposite him, sipping tea and carefully watching his best friend.  
“You said that last time, and the time before”  
“And it had been true every one of those times!” he whined. Percy shook his head. He didn’t understand why Monty let those boys do this to him every time. They used him and left, and Percy was there to pick up the pieces. Monty was sighing now, loud and exaggerated which at least indicated that he was not as upset as he let on. This most recent fling only lasted a week after all. Percy crossed his legs at the ankles and sat back in the armchair, leaning against the cushioning.

“Monty.” He said after a while and his friend looked up from his pit of wallow  
“Yeah?”  
“Those boys don’t deserve you… and neither do those girls. You deserve a forever person and if they’re not ready to do that for you then its their loss” he said firmly. His best friend smiled good naturedly and laid back down  
“Forever people don’t exist Perce”  
“One day you’ll find someone like that” _maybe it could be me_ was what Percy left unsaid. Monty chuckled and picked up his glass of whiskey from next to the leg of the chaise. He slowly sat up and braced his forearms on his thighs and swirled the amber liquid around the glass.  
“I don’t think so… There must be a reason all these people leave. I’m a common factor” He stated quietly and Percy’s heart clenched. He wishes Monty didn’t say those things about himself.  
“No, you’re not, they’re just cretins, too afraid to risk it.”  
“Perhaps I should be more of an idiot then, stop putting myself into the limelight hm?” he mused. Percy bit his lip but couldn’t stop himself from saying  
“I don’t think you can be more of an idiot.” Monty scowled playfully at him at that and tossed a pillow straight at his chest. It bounced off of the arm and landed on the floor. Percy grinned  
“Well, no matter what. You’ll always have me” Monty grinned a little, dimples showing as he tossed back the rest of his whiskey.  
“Ah yes, perfect bachelor pair you and me”  
 _If only you’d like to be more_

**16 (1st person Percy)**  
The magpie cocked its little head and I sighed, grabbing more wood.  
“Perfect, Blue-eyed Sinjon can you believe it? I know, I can’t either. He sounds genuinely in love its disgusting” I wrinkle my nose and toss the wood into the middle of the clearing. The magpie squawks and I sigh  
“Well, not because its Sinjon. Well actually its exactly because its Sinjon! How is he so much better than me huh? I’ve been there through it all since we were five years old!” More wood. Build the pile. Magpie responding. I wonder if it understands me. I stop short and thrown my hands down by my sides

“I’ve been bloody in love with him for years now! He hasn’t noticed. I don’t even trust this whole Sinjon to treat him right! What if he’s like all the other boys hm? Strings Monty along and then hurts him? It’s what they always do. I hate to see him cry.” I reach for some flint and lean down by the pile of wood.  
“He’s funny and gorgeous and a bit of an ass in the best ways. He deserves so much better than Sinjon bloody Westfall. No matter how blue eyed he is! What if it’s like Richard Peele all over again? That would be a disaster! At least I know how to handle disaster…” I sigh and drop down onto the ground, striking the flint until I can get a spark. It takes me several tries and by the end I’m so frustrated I’m shaking.

“He’s such an _idiot!_ He keeps looking everywhere, hoping to find something he doesn’t even quite believe in. Hello! I’m right here! What am I missing? What won’t he see? No one knows him better than I do!” I yell, finally lighting the wood. I watch as the spark consumes the wood into a steadily burning fire and I let my chest rise and fall rapidly. I blink and the Magpie had flown away now. I sigh and wrap my arms around my knees, pulling them close to my chest. I reach into my coat pocket and close my fist around the letter that arrived this morning. _Sinjon kissed me today. It was fantastic. I’ve never felt this way before Perce I think this is what you were talking about. Forever People. I can’t keep my mind off of him, I want to do something romantic for him so you have to help m-_ I sigh and close my eyes.

“More than him getting hurt… I dread it working out. I fear that makes me a terrible friend. I’d rather he has his heart broken than for him to be happy. His happiness… would mean the end of mine. I want him so bad it physically hurts and he wont ever. See me. As more.” I crumple the letter and toss it into the fire. I watch slowly as the parchment curls up and dissolves into ash. It doesn’t ease the pain but it sends a small shiver of satisfaction through me. My own tiny act of rebellion in a sea of necessary support. He’s my best friend, but I want him. He’s my best friend but he infuriates me. He’s my best friend but I’m disastrously in love with him. But. But. But. Maybe one day I can just call him my best friend without anything after and it won’t hurt the way it does now.

**17 (1st Person Percy) (TW: Post epileptic seizure, mention of bad medical practice)**  
“My what big ears you have” I hear and look up towards the voice. Monty is stood in the doorway of my bedroom with what looks like a wicker basket filled with things. Despite the bone tiring aches I feel as a result of my recent seizure, seeing him here puts a small smile on my face.  
“Better to hear you with my dear” I respond and his grin widens. He strides in and sits on the edge of the bed. He promptly manages to lean against my thigh in a way that presses into every sore spot in the muscle and I groan, pulling away. His brows knit together and I worry. I didn’t want Monty to know about my epilepsy. He had enough of his own problems and in all fairness…I wasn’t sure he’d take it well. I didn’t want things to get awkward between us and I definitely did not want any pity.  
“Are you okay?” His voice drops low with concern for a second and it makes me light up with fondness. I nod,  
“just…achy, the physician said it was normal.” He nods, approving of my answer and hauls the basket up.  
“What did you bring me?” I say, voice unable to push away the fatigue rounding my sentence. He smiles a little and taps a finger to the tip of my nose.  
“All good things, I had mother help me arrange this.” I shuffle a little higher against my pillows to peek into the basket. Lying against the chequered linen lining, was some bread and a sweet bun as well as some cheese. Alongside that there was meat wrapped up in a napkin and several kinds of fruit. I frown and reach in before pulling out a…  
“Lemon?”  
“So you don’t get scurvy” Monty grinned and put on his best ‘pirate’ impression. I smiled and placed the lemon back into the basket  
“I’m not at sea Monty. I won’t get scurvy”  
“If you don’t want it I can always- “my eyes widen and I tug the basket closer  
“No way, mine now.” He laughs as I hug it again and reach in for the sweet bun. I lick the icing off of the sides and it makes me feel a little less tired. Monty had a way to make everything around him come to life, including me. The ache was still ever present in my bones and my head was pounding behind my sinuses. The physician had already come by to try his treatments but as usual they did nothing but make me feel more miserable. 

Still on the side of my bed, Monty gently placed the basket on a little table besides the bedframe.  
“Move up a little” he demanded and it took me a couple of tries to move up in the bed to make space for him. He unbuckled his shoes and carefully slipped them out, the heel on them was practically scandalous so Monty had to be careful taking them off in case he broke his ankle. I appreciate him caring about the cleanliness of my bedsheets for once. He shuffled and squirmed for near ten minutes while I talked myself out of pushing him off the bed.  
“Stop squirming” I hum and he freezes for a short time before squirming again. I sigh and roll over onto my side and pull him close against my chest. He stills but relaxes against me soon after. The reality of the situation hits me not long after as I realise that I’m in bed with my favourite person in the world whom I am extremely in love with. This will be torture. Before my eyes slipped shut, I managed to realise that my migraine had gone away without me noticing. Monty was far from perfect but he was a perfect distraction when approaching the epilepsy. Or not approaching it at all because I could manage just fine. Though it was nice he came, no one usually stays or comes right after. He sighs and pushes back against me while I press my face to his shoulder. This was home, even tired and achy and recovering.

**18 (Monty first person POV)**  
Tomorrow would be the start of our lives. The Grand Tour, the last hurrah before I had to come home and take over the estate. Before I become a canary, trapped in a gilded cage with a cruel master. Percy told me last week that he was going to law school at the end of the tour and my entire world had fallen apart. I can’t imagine life with Percy across the channel. This is the exact reason why we have to make the most of every single day we have. He’s biting his lip now, brows pulled together in an adorable frown.

“Are you sure? We’re going tomorrow” he asked, voice soft  
“Of course, darling! Tomorrow is the key word, which is why we have to have a splendid night out, we won’t be in good old England in quite a while! Even longer for you, with law school”  
“Yes… law school” he mutters and I tilt my head. If I’m being honest, law school does sound strange for Percy, he was never the law type. Perhaps it was a decision that came from higher up…  
“Okay” he says and I beam all thought abandoned. There he is. He links our elbows together and it takes everything in me not to flush at the contact. The lace on his cravat tickles my cheek. Normally I would be complaining about our height difference but since developing this quite inconvenient passionate infatuation with Percy I can hardly complain about contact. Every instance seems to burn me up from the inside.

We arrange for a carriage quite easily, deciding to make plans on the way as per usual. Tomorrow, we will set out on the greatest adventure of our lives and at the end of it, I will have to leave Percy behind. Perhaps after that he will run my undoubtedly many court cases to come, after he becomes a brilliant lawyer. The carriage sways along with the trotting of horse’s hooves and I look at him. He’s so goddamned beautiful like this, in the moonlight. His hair is starting to come undone from where its tied, and a couple of strands fall to frame his face. His freckles stand out like this, with me so close to him. His eyelashes fan out and cast a shadow over his cheekbones and not for the first time in these past two years, I wonder what would happen if I leant forward a little and closed the gap between us. The carriage jolts again as it rolls over a stone and just like that, the moment is gone. He jumps and blinks slightly, clearing his throat and gives me a smile. I try to smile back even though my heart is tearing itself open, he nudges me and suggests a favourite of our haunts. Percy always knows exactly what to say, unlike me.

If I’m honest I don’t really remember much past stepping out of the carriage. I know that rationally I was quite sober for at least some of the evening, however, all of that sobriety had blurred itself into a tornado of colour with the only clear memory being Percy. His hands holding onto the cuff of my coat to keep me steady and his laughter following what might have been my voice. I must have said something funny, to get him to laugh so gorgeously. With his cheeks flushed and his head thrown back, in some ways I am lucky that this image had not been washed away with spirits. In other ways I am eternally cursed with having to replay this memory over and over in my head, one which I want and yet cannot have. I sort of remember going back into the carriage, giggling maniacally as I could barely stay in my seat. Then, I remember it being awfully warm all of a sudden and soon enough I was shedding layers along the floor and then the stairs. I’m not sure at which point we had transferred ourselves from the carriage to the manor. Percy had folded his coat and draped it over the stairwell bannister. Somehow, he was perfectly graceful even while fantastically inebriated. My last memory of the night was Percy laughing at me once again and hooking his fingers through mine  
“Come on, you need to sleep, else you’ll be a menace tomorrow.”  
“Tomorrow?” I asked, confused by the fog laid over my mind  
“The last year of our lives. Can’t have you hungover and sleep deprived”  
The last year of our lives indeed. The last year of montyandpercy. Soon enough it would be Henry Montague, trapped within the mansion and Percy Newton making friends in law school. Better friends that I could ever be to him, perhaps he would finally realise how much better than me he deserves. But that all could be worried about tomorrow. Tonight, I settle into Percy’s side and feel his fingers run through my hair. His breath is thickly laden with whiskey though I hardly think I’m much better, he makes up for it by allowing me the fluffiest pillow on my bed. Percy is good like that after all.  
“Close your damned eyes Monty” he sighs and tugs on a strand of my hair. I smile and obey, hoping that once I wake up, I will find this a reality and not an alcohol induced dream.


End file.
